Michael Chandler Wants to 'Rip Off' Conor McGregor's Face but Relationship Is 'Good'

UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler believes he has a solid relationship with Conor McGregor, but he's still relishing the opportunity to throw down in the Octagon.

Chandler and McGregor coached against each other on this season of The Ultimate Fighter reality competition series, and while there were some tense moments, Chandler had positive things to say about the Irishman.

"It's been all over the internet, obviously you guys saw the push, the shove, the face shove heard around the world, saw around the world, and the 'You'll do what you're told' line that Conor has already put out. … Conor McGregor and I, I think have a pretty good relationship," Chandler said (h/t Alexander K. Lee of MMA Fighting). "As good of a relationship as you can for a guy whose face you want to rip off."

Chandler went on to add that he believes he shares a healthy respect with McGregor, but both of them have the same mentality when it comes to fighting each other.

"Ultimately, it all boils down to there's a lot of respect between Conor and I, but that doesn't mean that we have to like each other at every turn. We could have a really great day and then the next day it's like, 'Hey man, it's fight day. Don't talk to me.' 'Hey man, I'm dealing with this with my guy, don't talk to me.'

"So it was a season that had so many different scenarios that made you act differently than you might have thought you would and that was kind of my big thing going into it. I don't know how I'm going to react, respond, and what you saw in some of these teasers was us responding or us reacting in a certain way and it's all water under the bridge and we had a good time."

Chandler and McGregor are expected to fight later this year, though a date for their clash is yet to be determined. It will be McGregor's first time back in the Octagon since he suffered a leg injury in his second straight loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021.